Most productive cultivar/method of pole beans?

[fliver]

In previous years I have attempted to grow bush snap beans but something (deer,rabbit,neighbor kid) has always bitten the top of the plant off before it has a chance to grow it's first set of true leaves. So, this year I trialed about 6 types of pole beans. Only 2 of 8 plants have any pods at all and I only have a total 3 pods. How do you grow pole beans? What cultivars are the most productive for you? Do you plant multiple beans per pole?

[Day]

fliver - Hi, welcome! Knowing what growing conditions your beans are facing can help direct any advice and variety recommendations. What climate/part of the world are you growing in? Do you plant in the open ground, in pots, in raised beds, etc? Have you recently used the same part of your garden to grow something else, such as onions or beets? The more info you can provide, the more specific we can be in helping.

[fliver]

I live in zone 6, about 40 miles NE of Kansas City, Mo. I grow these plants in the ground. This is the first time I have grown anything except grass in this area. I recently "moved" my garden to this area because it is closer to the house. We did have a period of very warm weather (95+ degrees F), maybe that is why they are not doing much.

[andyb]

Did you use an inoculant when you planted the beans? If nothing but grass grew there before, particularly if it was well tended and weed-free grass, there might not have been any symbiotic bacteria in the soil.

[fliver]

I did not use an inoculant. There was grass and clover (and other non-grass plants) growing there last year.

[ferdzy]

Yeah, chiming in to say my first year of beans grew very badly. Once I used an inoculant they did just fine. I think I used it the first couple of years even though I have a 4 year rotation and after that there wasn't any further need for it, but it really did get things kickstarted.

I've also noted that beans tend to be day-length sensitive so it's probably best to grow traditional beans from your area or at least pay attention to the latitude from whence they came... but that's nit-picking; it sounds like you need an inoculant.

[Day]

fliver - andyb and ferdzy make really good points. Beans (and peas, favas, etc) all have a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria that allow them to pull nitrogen from the air and utilize it. When the plant dies, and the roots rot, this nitrogen is released back into the soil -- one of the reasons beans, peas, etc are used as cover crops and for 'fixing' depleted soils. Clover actually does much the same thing, so it's possible that if clover was growing where your beans are now, there might already be some of the necessary soil bacteria. But yet, some sources are saying that the clover bacteria is an entirely different type than Rhizobium leguminosera, which is the one used for beans.

If you know your soil type and PH, that might also be useful. I've read that high acidity may limit the bacteria's ability to colonize, even if it's already present.

Regardless, inoculating your beans definitely wouldn't hurt. Normally beans are inoculated as they're planted from seed. I've never inoculated post-planting, but I'm sure it can be done and I'm sure one of these smart people here knows the best way to do it.

Regarding temperature, beans often drop their blossoms when the temperature goes into the mid 80's or higher. This isn't to say they can't drop them sooner, or later, or not at all, but ultimately heat + beans = usually less productive beans due to blossom drop. Some beans are claimed to be very heat tolerant, however. Rattlesnake comes to mind. But as I'm growing these for the first time this season and I only just planted them yesterday, I can't weight in on their heat tolerance just yet.

As for spacing, I live in a hot climate with very sandy soil. Keeping soil moisture and soil nutrients up is difficult. I've found spacing my pole beans much closer works far better for me than spacing them further apart, at recommended spacing. I get a lot of leaf drop of and blossom drop when growing in summer, so my pole beans can get very leggy and leave the ground open as their bottom leaves crisp and die. I've found that spacing the beans no more than 3 inches apart, and often putting a double row (one bean on either side of the pole/string) works best for me. They shade each other and help conserve moisture. HOWEVER it's so dry here than fungal issues are basically nonexistent in summer, which I'm pretty sure isn't the case in Missouri. So until we wrangle someone from your area to weight on the above advice, take it with a grain (or shaker) of salt.

As for variety recommendations - Are you looking for green snap beans, or dry beans? For dry beans, I can recommend Mayflower and Tuvaglieda (which I think is just a re-branding of Dove's breast/Papa de Rola). Mayflower has been the most prolific, even in adverse conditions, and is the earliest to flower. Not a great snap, but a workhouse for dry beans. 

[reed]

I have never used an inoculant of any kind. Um, maybe I should. I doubt I will though cause I generally get plenty of beans. Maybe some ground really does need it. Sounds like rabbits are the culprit in the original post, nasty little critters, they love bean sprouts.

fliver, what were the original kinds you tried to grow? Is snap beans mostly what you are after? I think you are on the right track in getting as many as you can, I would save the beans from the pods you do get and plant them next year. They will gradually adapt to your climate and soils.  

As far as productive kinds go, Kentucky Wonder is generally pretty good and fine as a snap or dry. I like green beans but to me I can cook  KY Wonder as a side dish and they have a lot of the same flavor they do as a green bean. Rattlesnake is a little more tolerant of hot and dry I think but I don't like them as green beans too well. Blue Lake are a good snap bean and fairly short season so you can plant early and get your crop in before the worst of the hot weather arrives. I prefer the black seeded BL over the white. 

There are probably hundreds maybe thousands of varieties. Best advice is plant as many different ones as you can and just save seed for the ones that grow and taste best. 

[stone]

Aug 12, 2017 9:16:59 GMT -5 fliver said:

In previous years I have attempted to grow bush snap beans but something (deer,rabbit,neighbor kid) has always bitten the top of the plant off before it has a chance to grow it's first set of true leaves. So, this year I trialed about 6 types of pole beans. Only 2 of 8 plants have any pods at all and I only have a total 3 pods. How do you grow pole beans? What cultivars are the most productive for you? Do you plant multiple beans per pole?

Last year, I attempted to grow climbing beans on the old perimeter fence, after putting up fresh wire.... expanding the garden.
Unfortunately, bambi found a place to get in... and ate the tops off all that planting.

If you are trying to grow beans, without fencing the critters out.... don't expect much... deer and rabbits are very partial to beans and peas.

At my house... the voles also like to eat the beans roots.... those plants don't grow much after the roots are gone....

once you get the critters sorted.... ain't much to growing beans.

I grow a lot of cherokee tears, and some no-name speckled lima beans, plus hyacinth beans... Too hot here to have much luck with runner beans... but... they often grow a second year from the same root...

and.... I'm in the dry sand.... beach sand as far down as you'd care to dig...
I add lots of horse manure, and last year did a bit of watering.... this year.... it's been very unusual.... water to set out the pre-started plants.... and then stand back.

I like to start new seeds every month.... and usually have no trouble getting a crop from september plantings.

But.... except for runner beans.... I don't have any trouble getting beans in the heat... tried purple climbers this year... wasn't impressed.

[prairiegardens]

Something else that will take out young and tender bean leaves is slugs.